When You're Only Visiting
by Hwikek
Summary: Minamo's younger cousin comes to Tokyo.  He's tall, strong, and wicked athletic, but he has a secret.  A secret that he doesn't want anyone to know.
1. Arrival

"He's in here," said Isshin.

"Okay, thanks."

"Hmm?"

"You ready to go?" asked Minamo.

"Yeah sure."

"Don't worry," said the teacher, "You'll see your dad again soon."

"Oh great, I'm really lookin' forward to that."

"Oh don't say that, you'll miss him."

"That's right!" said a rambunctious Isshin, "You'll miss me when you're staying with her in Tokyo."

"Sure, let's get this over with." The young man walked out of his room.

"He hasn't been his old self lately," Isshin told her as his son passed by, "Something's eating at him. I think it'll be good to get him out of the house."

"Okay, and don't worry. I'll take good care of little—"

"I'm not a kid anymore, you don't have to call me little."

"That's what older cousins are for," said Minamo, "And you were so cute when you were a little kid. You always had a big smile on your face, now you have this scowl."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get going."

"You really will miss him," said Kurosawa as they walked out the front door.

"Is that right?" the boy asked, "I thought you couldn't wait to leave that place."

"That's how I felt back when I was a kid," the two of them got into her car, "But when you move away you can't help wanting to come back."

"I'm sure."

He fumbled with his orange hair as his cousin drove. She kept talking to the boy, but his responses were mostly grunts and "hmms". At least until they broke down on the freeway.

"Well we're here," said his older cousin.

"It sure beats pushing the car to get it to start."

"I knew that wouldn't work."

"Then why did you have me do it?" the young man asked.

"It was good exercise for you," was her reply.

"Exercise? I nearly wrenched my back!"

"Think of all the calories you burned."

"I'm not some teenage anorexic," said the boy, "I don't worry about those kinds of things."

"See?" said Minamo, "Now we're having a nice conversation."

"Ah shut up."

"Now, now. I can either be the nice cousin, or," she shoved the teen onto the floor, twisting his right arm behind his back.

"What was that for?"

"Aw come on," she said, "A big man like you can't even fight a girl?"

"You're not supposed to hit girls," said the boy.

"That's right." She took her knee off his back. The kid stood up, nursing his right arm. "Because the moment you do that to me, I'll break your nose."

"Whoa!" said the teen, "Where did that come from?"

"It's just a warning," said the woman, "And Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be such an ass."

Ichigo sat on a couch in his cousin's apartment. _Oh man_, he thought to himself, _some soul reaper I am, I was beaten up by my cousin yesterday._ It had been years since he had last seen her, and Minamo hadn't really changed.

_Why did I come here anyways?_ When his father had told him that he would be living with his cousin for…some time, Ichigo had been shocked. _I don't really mind going somewhere_, thought Ichigo, _but I wish that I could have had a bigger part in the decision making._ _And what the hell does "some time" mean?_ The angry young man couldn't be sure.

"Hi Ichigo," said Minamo, "School starts tomorrow, you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Just remember, I teach at this school," said Minamo, "So whatever you do don't embarrass me, alright?"

"Wha? That's my line! You're the one who's gonna embarrass me!"

"No I'm not," said Minamo, "I'm not your dad."

"You sure about that?" asked Ichigo, "Yesterday you nearly broke my arm!"

"Oh don't be such a baby," said Minamo, "I have a friend of mine coming ov—"

"Nyamo!" said Yukari, "Say! Who's your new boyfriend?"

"Hwha?"

"He's awfully young Nyamo, have you lowered your standards?"

"He's not my boyfriend Yukari!"

"Well heck, I'll take him."

"He's sixteen!" said Minamo.

"What's he doing here then?"

"He's my cousin, say hello."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Ichigo!"

"Aw come on Minamo! Did you hear what she just said?"

"She's a…_friend_ of mine," said Minamo, "And you don't just rush up to somebody and ask 'Who the hell are you?'"

"What kind of friend is she?" asked Ichigo.

"I've had that exact same question," said Minamo, "And I just keep telling myself, it'll all get better."

"Well if that's how highly you think of me, I'm leaving!"

"Wait, Yukari! Oh damn it Ichigo," said Minamo, "Why did you say that?"

"It just kind of came out, I'm sorry."

"Not sorry enough," said Minamo, "I'll be back."

Ichigo watched as she rushed out the front door. _Why did I do that?_ He hadn't lied to Minamo, the words had just tumbled out haphazardly. _I feel kind of bad about it now. And what kind of nickname is "Nyamo?"_

"Okay," said Minamo, "I thought we might go out to eat somewhere for dinner, but I changed my mind." Ichigo looked down at the floor. "You need to be more respectful."

"This society is too uptight about everything."

"Ichigo!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Honestly," said Kurosawa, "You need to get it together."

"Okay."

"So what's up?" asked Kurosawa, "You weren't this way the last time I saw you. What changed, girl problems?"

"Wha?"

"Oh!" said Minamo with a smile, "So that _is_ what happened."

"That's not it," said Ichigo.

"Poor little Ichigo," said Kurosawa, "He got dumped."

"That isn't the issue."

"Did she steal your heart?"

"Minamo please."

"Okay," said Kurosawa, "But I want you to tell me about it some time. I promise I won't tell your dad."

"What's with your nickname?" asked Ichigo.

"There are things you don't want to talk about," said Minamo, "And there are things I don't want to talk about. I think we can both appreciate that."

"I guess…."

"But if you are having girl problems, you might consider—"

"I am not having girl problems!" said Ichigo.

"Alright fine," said Kurosawa, "Just don't be such a bitch about it."

"Why the heck did you say that?"

"You're acting like a whiny girl," said Kurosawa, "And I should know, I have to put up with them at work everyday."

"Why is it that you can say those things about me," asked Ichigo, "And I can't tell you to shut up?"

"I'm the adult here," said Minamo, "You have to follow my rules, and that means it's time for bed."

"Bed?" said Ichigo, "But it's eight!"

"That's why," said a cheery Minamo, "You need to be up bright and early to get to school."

"Aren't you gonna take me there?"

"Hell no. You have two legs that aren't broken."

"You're just doing this because I made your friend leave before she could give that money back, aren't you?"

"They say revenge is a dish best served cold, which is why," Minamo gave Ichigo a blanket, "You get to sleep on the couch."

"It's freezing in here!" said Ichigo.

"Oh I know," said Kurosawa, "But after today I'm not in the best of moods."


	2. Why Ichigo?

"Oh man," said Ichigo, "Where am I?"

The room was dark. Curtains covered the window by his bed. The cold of the floorboards greeted his feet. A light from underneath the door caught his attention. The hinges creaked open. And daylight surrounded the teen.

He turned around to see Minamo smiling, both eyes closed. She seemed to be saying something, but he couldn't hear her. Ichigo noticed how happy she looked underneath the sunny sky. The tall buildings around him tried to touch the sky, but they only came so close.

"Come on Ichigo," said Kurosawa. "You're supposed to be having fun when you're on vacation with me! We need to go do something special, just the two of us…. Come on it'll be fun!"

"Okay."

Ichigo walked towards his older cousin. The distance between them seemed to increase with every step. _How far away is she? I've been walking for a while now._ His skin started to burn under the hot sun.

"Come on Ichigo," said Kurosawa, "I'll get you some ice cream if you get over here. Maybe we can even go to the beach. Spend a day swimming and just hanging out."

_That sounds pretty good._ The sun above slowly kindled the sky, casting its rays far across the heavens. Ichigo noticed something appear behind Minamo. A dark figure approaching from behind. Kurosawa seemed to be oblivious to the man behind her.

"Hey Minamo," said Ichigo, "Who's your friend?"

"What friend?" asked Kurosawa, "We're the only people here," said the woman, as a sword shot through her chest.

Blood ran down in rivers from the edge of the blade. Kurosawa's eyes became dull, vacant houses forgotten by all. Her color slowly drained away from the top of her head to the tips of her fingers. The shadowy figure came into the light.

"Why hello there Ichigo."

_What the hell?_

"I didn't expect to see you here." The person who had killed Minamo, was himself.

"Why did you do it Ichigo?"

"M-Minamo?"

The pale body walked towards him, pulling itself free of the blade. "Why Ichigo?" asked his cousin, "Why did you kill me?"

"I didn't."

"Why Ichigo?" Her pale form stood in front of the young man. She looked like a corpse, one that had yet to feasted upon by the carrion consumers of the grave. "I welcomed you into my home, but you killed me anyways. You took Zangetsu and ran it straight through my heart. Did I do something wrong? Did I anger you, Ichigo?"

"I didn't, I didn't do it!"

"Why are you lying to me Ichigo?" she pointed behind her. "You're standing right over there, holding Zangetsu who has been stained with my blood."

"That's not me."

"I am you," said his look-alike.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" he screamed, "I would never hurt my family!"

"What's wrong Ichigo?" asked Isshin.

"What?"

He was sitting at the dinner table in his house. His father Isshin had a strange look on his face. Karin and Yuzu, his baby sisters gave him strange looks as well. He turned his attention to the food on his plate. _Oh well_, he thought, _I guess it was just some kind of hallucination._ His orange hair shook from side to side as he tried to remove the image of his cousin, dead, in front of him.

A blue light smashed through the window. It sliced Isshin and his sisters in half. Plates flew against the wall where they shattered. Curry dripped down the wall in slow viscous lines. The tinkle of shattering glass filled his ears.

"Why Ichigo?"

_Not again._

"Why did you kill us?"

"Yes Ichigo," asked his look-alike, "Why did we kill them?"

"You bastard!" screamed Ichigo, "You killed my family!"

"You only have yourself to blame," said the black robed man, "I was simply following your orders."

"No," Ichigo said to himself, "I would never do that." But for some reason the words sounded empty to him; as if they had no strength to give them meaning. _This isn't right_, he thought, _I would never do something like this!_

"Why Ichigo?" asked the corpses, "What did we do wrong?"

"SHUT UP!"

"Calm down Ichigo. Everything is going to be alright."

"Mom?"

Ichigo noticed that he had shrunk, or to be more accurate he had become a kid again. He felt his hand against his mother's as they walked together. The rain poured down on his head and face, yet his mother's presence kept away the cold.

"What's that girl doing?"

An older girl was standing near the banks of the river. The water level rose as rain plummeted down from the dark sky. She started to walk towards the center of the stream.

"Oh no! She's going to fall in!" The young boy raced down the hill towards the girl.

"Ichigo!" yelled his mother, "Come back! Where are you going?"

As he ran towards the girl, a thought crept into Ichigo's mind. _Wait, haven't I been here before?_ The girl walked into the center of the stream, yet she did not fall in. _Yeah, I have been here before. _He turned around to see his mother come down the hill after him.

"Wait Mommy!" yelled the child, "Don't come down here!"

A dark shape appeared behind his mother, Masaki.

_No_, _I won't lose her again! Not to Grand Fisher, not to anyone!_

Masaki stopped as a glinting light shot through her. The curved blade seemed to glow like the moon. She looked down at her son.

"Why Ichigo, why did you kill your mother?"

"I didn't."

"Why did you kill me Ichigo?" asked Kurosawa.

"It wasn't me."

"What did your sisters do to you Ichigo?" asked Karin and Yuzu. "What did we do that was so terrible that we had to die?"

"Why did you kill your father Ichigo?" asked Isshin, "Don't you know that I love you?"

"I didn't kill any of you!" the small boy cried. The tears flowed down his face in glistening streams. Their voices continued to assail him as he tried to cover his ears. "Why Ichigo, why?" He could still hear them. _Just go away he thought. I didn't do it._

"_Stop your crying._"

_That voice._

"_I'm glad to see that you remember me. It has been a while hasn't it?_"

Everything around Ichigo had turned black. Except for a lone figure clad in white. He turned around to face Ichigo, his black mouth open, and his yellow eyes grinning evilly.

"_Oh Ichigo_," said the hollow, "_Why are you always so afraid? Is it because of me? Is it because you know that you're not as strong as me?_"

Ichigo sat on his knees. His mouth seemed to be shut with a deep primal fear. He couldn't look away from the demon's eyes. Right beside the yellow pupil sat the blackness of hell.

"_You're right to fear me Ichigo._" The corpses appeared around the hollow, but this time they didn't speak. "_This is what you have to look forward to_," said the being. "_When I gain control of your body I'll destroy everyone who is precious to you. And anyone who gets in my way._ _Your strength will become mine Ichigo. One day soon._"

"SHUT UP!"

"Ichigo!"

"M-Minamo?"

"Ichigo what's the matter?"

He looked at his hands. _It was all a dream?_ He looked out of the apartment's window at the moon. _It was more like a nightmare._

"Are you okay?" asked Kurosawa.

"I'm fine."

"Come on," said his cousin, "Get off the couch, I have a more comfortable place for you to sleep in."

"Okay."

Ichigo followed his cousin down the hallway to the room he had slept in the night before. He watched as she fluffed up the pillow that sat at the head of the bed. He was still slightly shaken from his nightmare. The white face of his inner hollow filled his heart with despair.

"What happened Ichigo?" asked Kurosawa.

"Nothing, it was just a bad dream Minamo."

"Okay, well good night." She left the room, closing the door behind her. The dark hallway seemed sinister to her now. The young teacher shook the thought out of her head. _I just hope he'll be okay_, she thought as she got into bed. _I've never heard him scream like that before._

Ichigo knew that it had only been a dream. But he could still see those yellow eyes. The eyes that made him feel like prey.


	3. School

The morning air burned against Ichigo's skin, leaving little bumps as he walked towards school. _I wish summer had lasted a little longer_, thought Ichigo, _it's already getting cold again._ White clouds drifted across the blue sky overhead. The young man looked up at them. _Why am I here?_ He'd only been in Tokyo for two days, but he still wanted to leave. Though he felt this was only because of the dream he'd had last night. _Some dream, it was more like a nightmare_.

"Hey you!"

Up ahead Ichigo noticed a group of people circled around something. _Oh great_, he thought to himself, _these guys look just like those people back in Karakura town. Guess I didn't leave them behind._ He remembered constantly getting into fights back in Karakura town. There were so many times that he had come home with bruises on his arms and face. But his attackers weren't unscathed at the end of their fights, and they always knew better than to try it again.

"Well, well," said the biggest of the group, "What are you going to do midget, wet your pants?"

"They're probably already drippin' with piss!"

The group laughed, as the one they had surrounded cried. One heard footsteps behind them. "Oh no." Everyone turned, "It's that gangster from Karakura town!" The teens shrunk as Ichigo came closer and closer.

"It's nice to see that I get some respect, even in Tokyo." Ichigo smiled dangerously. "So what have you got back there?"

"Just this kid we were gonna beat up," whimpered one of them.

"Is that right?"

"We-we're not afraid of you! There are seven of us, and only one of you!"

"You're not afraid of me?" asked Ichigo.

"Yeah!"

"Well if all seven of you come at me at once, it just means that I'll have to kick all of your asses."

"Listen, if you think that you can just waltz over here and smart off, then you better—"

Ichigo shoved his fist into the kid's face, knocking him backwards. The group let out a gasp as their leader fell onto the ground. They watched as he whimpered, blood dripping out of his nose.

"See here's the thing." They turned to face Ichigo. "I don't have that much time until school starts, so if any of you have the urge to fight, you'd better get started now."

"We'll kick your ass! No one treats the boss man this way!"

"One second, hey kid."

"Yes?" The faint whimper of a young girl greeted his ear.

"Come out here a second." A small girl with pigtails came out from behind the hoodlums. Ichigo kneeled down, handing her a phone. "I need you to call up six," the "boss" pushed himself up off of the ground, "Make that seven ambulances. Think you can do that for me?"

"We'll destroy you!"

"You might want to get back," said Ichigo, slamming an elbow into one of their faces. Chiyo watched as they clashed. She watched as Ichigo kicked, elbowed, and punched the seven of them mercilessly. But no matter how many of them rushed the orange haired man, they could never lay a finger on him. If they threw a punch, he merely blocked it. If they kicked at him he dodged. And when one of them pulled out a knife Ichigo turned his arm into a mass of tinker toys. He walked back towards her, leaving his foes lying on the ground.

"Did you call the hospital?"

"Yes I did. Why did you ask me to?" asked Chiyo.

"I was just teaching them a lesson," said Ichigo, "They need to live long enough to learn from it, don't they?"

"Y-you killed them?"

"I don't think so," said the teen, "But it would be better to call the paramedics to make sure."

"Why did you save me?" asked Chiyo. She had heard about the transfer student. The descriptions of him were so different than what she saw. He wasn't anything like she had imagined.

"There's no reason for jerks like them to whale on people. Especially not little kids in grade school."

"I am not in grade school!" said an indignant Chiyo, "I am a second year high school student!"

"What?" said Ichigo, "No way."

"Chiyo!"

A girl with brown hair rushed towards them. Well, rushed wasn't quite the word. She seemed to becoming towards them at full speed, but she still didn't seem to be moving towards them very quickly. She was kind of short and plain, but she also appeared to be closer to Ichigo's age. She stopped running and walked towards them, a slight pant filled the air as she got closer and closer.

"Miss Osaka?"

"I'm…huff, okay. What…pant, are you doing with that gangster kid?"

"I'm not a gangster," said Ichigo.

"Well gangster or not he saved me Miss Osaka."

"Really Chiyo?" asked the spacey girl, still panting.

"Yes he did and," she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, you did call for ambulances right?"

"Ye-yes," she whimpered.

"Good," said Ichigo, "Because I need to get to class."

The sunlight classroom was an extremely welcoming sight to the students who entered. The warm atmosphere of the room made the children feel relaxed inside. The students sat rapt with attention at the lesson that was being given. All of them watching carefully as the teacher continued to discuss the many nuances of their studies. Except for Ichigo, who sat with his face on the top of his desk, arms sprawled out in front.

"Oh man," said the teen, "This class is so boring." He stretched his arm upwards. Poof. _What the hell?_ Ichigo felt something in his palm. He looked up to see a small white object in his hand.

"How did you catch that?" asked Yukari.

Ichigo suddenly stood up, slamming his hands onto the desk. "Wait a minute, did you throw this piece of chalk at me?"

"You were asleep!"

"I was awake! What kind of teacher throws things at her students?" yelled an indignant Ichigo, "That's crazy!"

"Do you want to go to detention?" asked Yukari.

"No."

Ichigo slumped into his chair. Shaking his head from side to side the young man tried to pay attention to what his cousin's friend was saying. Yet the subtleties that differentiated parallelism from antithesis were lost on Ichigo, who found the whole concept of studying the multitudes of rhetorical devices detestable. He rested his head on his right hand.

Looking to the left he noticed to his pleasant surprise that an attractive girl was gazing out the window. She also seemed to be ignoring the lecture on how to tell when individual clauses could be considered grammatically similar enough to qualify for parallelism. Ichigo noticed the girl's long black hair, her impressive figure, and most importantly of all; she was distracted by something outside the classroom. She would never notice Ichigo's prying eyes.

Ichigo then looked to the right and noticed another attractive girl. This one had brown hair and her skin was darker than everyone else's. She also had a nice set of curves to her form. She seemed to be paying attention to Yukari's informative, if boring lecture. Then again she might also have been sleeping with her hands under her chin. He couldn't be sure since she was too far in front of him; though that in and of itself was a plus since she wouldn't notice him staring at her.

Figuring that he might as well go three for three, Ichigo looked behind himself. There were girls back there, but none of them were extremely attractive. Not that they were difficult to look at, but they just weren't super good looking. Then again some of them were kind of cute. One in particular caught his attention. She had short black hair, and she seemed to be staring at…the girl with long hair?

_Is she gay? _Ichigo was a little surprised, and a little intrigued by his discovery. The idea of the two girls together was stimulating. Though he soon chastised himself for the perverted thoughts.

The class seemed to drag on. The long lecture was periodically interrupted by Ichigo catching piece after piece of chalk that was thrown at him. A small pile sat on his desk as Yukari became angrier and angrier. She couldn't stand the fact that the new transfer student wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to what she was saying. What was worse was the fact that she couldn't even hit him!

The two angrily glared at each other until the class ended. Everyone else left the room quickly. No one really wanted to be too close to the transfer student. Not only that but none of the students wished to be in the same vicinity as an angry Yukari Tanazaki. As they rushed away from the classroom screams and shouts filled the air. The war had begun.

The sun beat down on Ichigo's skin. The warm concrete of the pool's deck burned his feet. He hadn't expected to be swimming today, especially not at school. Splashes erupted from around the pool. He noticed that several of his classmates were not very proficient swimmers. The water seemed to boil where one of the girls was swimming. Then there were the people who couldn't swim.

_But I guess that's the point of this class_, thought Ichigo; he had not yet realized that these students had been in the swim class a year before. Such information would have merely depressed him. He felt the skin on his arms warm. There was the sound of soggy footsteps behind him. He turned.

"Gah!"

"Huh?"

"It's nothing," Ichigo lied, "Nothing really."

"Um, okay."

Sakaki walked away from the orange haired man. She wasn't sure about who this strange new student was. He seemed to be kind of creepy though, considering how he had panicked when she had simply walked behind him.

_They say that he was this big gangster back in Karakura town_, thought Sakaki, _So then why is embarrassed to be around girls?_ Every time one of her classmates walked in front of the new student, he would look away. _Not very tough for a gangster is he?_

_What the hell? It's that kid from this morning._ Ichigo felt somewhat uncomfortable around all of these girls in bathing suits, despite the fact that they were only wearing one pieces.

"Hey Ichigo."

"Geh…." Ichigo turned his head away. "Hey there Minamo long time no see, huh?"

"Why did you turn your head away?" asked Minamo, "I mean you only did that before when girls…. Oh." Kurosawa's eyes seemed to glaze over slightly. "You creep! How could you think something like that?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo frantically waved his hands. "I wasn't thinking about anything!"

Ichigo sat at another desk. The cool surface made him shiver as his hand ran across it. Everyone in the classroom seemed to behave differently now. There was a palpable fear in the air. Though what surprised Ichigo the most, was that it was only generated by the girls.

A strange looking man walked into the classroom. He hunched as he walked up to the board. Scraping sounds turned to figures as the man wrote characters on the chalkboard. Eventually the scraping stopped. He turned towards the class with his mouth agape. Ichigo thought it strange that the teacher was panting all he had done was write on the chalkboard. Many of the girls seemed to shrink as the teacher looked around the room.

"Hey glasses," said Ichigo, "What's up with this guy?"

"My name is Koyomi thank you. That's Mr. Kimura, he's…difficult."

"How so?"

"Well…."

"Anyways," said Kimura, "I don't know how this happened…but we will continue to have bloomers. Now does anyone know what those are?"

"No," said Ichigo, "What the hell are they?"

"Such language in the classroom." Kimura shook his head from side to side. "Bloomers are what the girls wear in PE," said Kimura, "And they look similar to underwear."

"Why are they wearing those?" asked Ichigo, "Are they cheaper than shorts or something?"

"They wear them because I keep asking the school to buy them."

"Why would you do that?"

"They're easier to see through," Kimura informed.

"What the heck, you're a pervert?" Ichigo screamed. The students watched as the two of them soon got into a shouting match. The other students had bated breaths. What would the gangster do? Was he going to kill Kimura? Some of the girls certainly hoped so, one black haired one in particular.

"Do you want detention Mr. Kurosaki?" asked Kimura.

"No." Ichigo sulked into his desk.


	4. A Rainy Day

The rain pattered against the window panes. Droplets slithered down the glass. The chilly air irritated his skin. He could feel his fingers turn to ice. _Some weekend_, thought Ichigo, _This is the crappiest weather I've seen in a long time._

Ichigo shifted around on the couch. His legs grew cold. _Maybe I shouldn't have put on shorts. But I could just turn on the heater. _It wasn't the most exciting thing Ichigo had ever thought about. But it had certainly been more exciting than his first few days of school.

Out of all his teachers, there were only two that he didn't get along with. One was named Yukari Tanazaki. All he knew about the other one, was that his name was Kimura. He couldn't stand Yukari, because she always tried to upset him. But that wasn't why Ichigo couldn't stand Kimura. It was because Kimura reminded Ichigo of someone. That someone was a man, a man Ichigo never wanted to see again.

The rain continued to pelt the glass. _Where the hell is the remote?_ A faint noise caught Ichigo's attention. He looked out the window. _There's that noise again_, thought Ichigo, _What is it?_

"Hey Minamo."

"What is it?"

"I'm goin' out for a little bit. I'll be back later."

"You're going out in the rain?" asked Kurosawa.

"Yeah, but don't worry I'll take a coat with me." With that Ichigo left, closing the door behind him. Minamo shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't too worried about him. He'd proven Monday that he could take care of himself.

The rain felt cool on Ichigo's head. The constant tapping of drops on his hair and arms. The wetness that permeated into his skin, chilling his soul. He simply headed off, towards the sound he had heard in the apartment.

_What am I doing? Why am I out in the rain? Why am I looking for that noise? It's cold out here. All of the rain just pours down the sidewalks into the street. What makes it do that? It just runs down, down towards the drains. So why does it fall into the streets as well? All of that water, just running down. You'd never think about it most of the time, but there has to be a lot of it. Ah who cares?_

Ichigo turned. That was the sound. But where was it coming from?

The rain soaked into everything. Pieces of old cardboard, now soggy sponges of cellulose. Paper flyers became masses of pulp, torn apart by the relentless torrent as above the sky opened up above the city. It became harder and harder to see anything. The water acted like a fog, a cold wet barrier for the eyes. Somewhere within the mess, a noise kept calling out to Ichigo.

_That's what it is?_ Ichigo looked at the object. He picked it up, the soggy mass sticking to his skin. _Oh that's so gross._ He left the alleyway, to find somewhere dry.

The door creaked open. "Hey Minamo. Do you have something for this?"

"What are you talking about Ichi—" Kurosawa gasped as she looked at what Ichigo held in his hands. The small shape shivered, dripping water all over the floor. Pointed ears twitched back forth. The animal started to cry. Minamo lifted the kitten out of Ichigo's hands. She cradled it in her arms. "Where did you find him?"

"I found it while I was out," said Ichigo, "It looked so sad and pathetic in the rain that I just had to pick it up. So do we have some food for it or something?"

"No," said Minamo, rubbing the creature's head. "We're gonna have to buy some."

"Wait a minute," said Ichigo, "We're gonna keep this thing?"

"I don't see why not," said Minamo, "He's such a cute little guy."

"How do you know that it's a male?"

"It's not rocket science," said Minamo, "What should we call him?"

"Call him whatever you want," said Ichigo, "I don't want to go anywhere right now." The boy slumped onto the couch, grabbing the remote in one hand. Minamo watched as her cousin started watching TV. She felt the kitten squirming about in her hands. Sighing in disbelief Minamo went towards the other end of the apartment.

The black fluffball purred as Minamo rubbed a towel through its hair. She heard the TV play in the living room. _What on Earth am I supposed to do with these two?_ The kitten rubbed its head against her hand. _At least one of them is friendly_, thought Minamo, _I can't say the same about the other one._

"_…And if you can't afford one that's okay! We'll use a shiny gun for another way..._"

"Hey Ichigo," Minamo placed the kitten on the couch, "I need you to run down to the store to buy some cat food."

"But I just went out there," said Ichigo, "It's pouring!"

"Well," Minamo gave him a dangerous look, "Would you like him to starve to death?"

"Can't you go get it?" asked Ichigo.

Minamo shook her head. "It's up to you. I don't want to get wet out there."

"Come on! That's completely unreasonable!"

"No it's not," said Minamo, "What is unreasonable, is the fact that you won't walk two blocks in the rain, to help a starving animal."

"I could say the same thing about you," said Ichigo, "I don't see you volunteering to walk in the rain and get drenched. Why are picking on me?"

"Just man up and do it," said Minamo, "Do it and I'll give you some money."

"Fine whatever."

The rain hadn't let up yet. The long walk made Ichigo shiver. No one else walked beside him. He couldn't blame everyone else for staying inside. The air seemed to freeze the skin on his face. His legs shivered as cold droplets ran down.

_Why did I come out here again? Why did I step back into the freezing rain? What I really want to know, is why I could hear a cat crying inside an apartment. I mean that thing was outside of the apartment. And now I'm walking in the rain to grab some cat food. This sucks._

"Ahh!"

"Shut up or you're dead!"

"Please," said the girl, "Don't hurt me!"

"I won't if you give me your money."

"I, I don't have any money."

The predator smacked the girl. "Don't play games with me." He shoved her against the brick wall. She whimpered as her attacker gave an evil smile. "I was just going to rob you," he said, "But maybe now…I'll kill you."

"Why?" The girl was starting to cry. She had only gone out to buy some sodas. It still felt as if her head had just been slammed against the wall. The man had her arms pinned against the wall. His muscles were like iron, immovable structures. His soulless eyes seemed to relish in her fear; as if they feasted upon it.

_Is this the end?_ She had never imagined her own death before. The idea wasn't something the girl thought about in her high school life. How could she be so helpless? How could this be the end? Why was he doing this to her? Did she really deserve this? _Do I really deserve to die?_

"LET GO OF ME!"

"I told you to be quiet," said the man, "Looks like you're out of time."

"Hey there."

_Who is he?_ The man was surprised that someone headed towards the two of them. "Get lost, this doesn't concern you." _Why is he still coming this way? Oh well, I'll just kill him too._

"You see, what I don't like about this situation, is the fact that you're attacking a defenseless girl."

"And what can you do about it? Get the hell out of here you punk."

"You're starting to piss me off. Let go, or I'll make you let go."

"Shut your mouth," said the man, "I can snap your neck in an instant."

A hand tightened around the man's throat. "I told you to let go of her." The predator gasped for air as he let go. "What kind of coward attacks someone who can't defend herself?" The man was thrown down the alleyway.

"You just made a big mistake," said the hunter. He pulled a gun out of his coat.

"You think that'll stop me? It won't."

"You arrogant little— Argh!" The gun clattered as it bumped against the ground. The predator felt his nose crack. The warm rush of blood poured out his nostrils. "AH!" His head rammed against the wall. Every time his head was slammed against the brickwork, it felt like he was being crushed. The hands let go, and the criminal fell onto the wet asphalt.

"What's your name?"

"Huh?"

"I've seen you before but I never got your name."

"Oh, well I'm Ayumu."

"I'm Ichigo, you okay?"

"My head hurts a little," said Osaka, "But why did you do that?"

"People like him make me sick," said Ichigo, "They attack defenseless people who they know can't fight back. They're a bunch of cowards."

"Who are you?" asked Osaka.

"I'm just a guy," said Ichigo, "Do you want me to walk you home? I don't think it's safe for you to be on your own right now."

"Uh, okay."

_I'm kinda surprised_, thought Osaka, _I didn't know that he could fight. I mean I did see those guys lying on the sidewalk, but he was so fast! He kicked the gun out of that guy's hand! All of those rumors, I don't really know if they're true, but I do know, that he really is a scary kid._ And as they walked in the rain, she felt the need. The need to know more about him.


	5. A Chance Meeting

The sun shone down onto Ichigo. The teen walked along the deserted sidewalk. Every day had seemed to follow the same old routine. He would wake up, eat breakfast, walk to school, walk back, deal with the cat. Speaking of which the puffball appeared on the wall. Chuckling he gave it a pat on the head.

_Is…is he?_

Sakaki watched Ichigo as the boy rubbed the kitten's head. _He has a cat?_ Her interest in the boy peaked, if only for what he offered her. His reputation at school was frightening. Rumors surfaced of him killing eight people within one week of attending the high school. Wherever he went, the local bullies would tread lightly, careful not to anger the orange haired man.

Sakaki and her friends didn't know much about the boy, but Osaka had been struck by a sporadic urge to know more about him. Chiyo had come up with a story of him beating the crap out seven people. That he had left them on the sidewalk, bleeding out of their mouths and nostrils.

Sakaki didn't know what to think. She only saw him about twice everyday. He gave no implication of wanting to talk to her. He had never said a word to Sakaki. Likewise she had never even told him hello. His appearance always frightened her. His angry face, his scowl, his permanently balled fists, they were the embodiment of unfriendliness. _So why? Why did I follow him?_ It didn't mean anything. Just a slight curiosity. _No one cares, right? I can always just deny…deny what?_ Her black hair shifted in the breeze. _Maybe I should just leave._

"What's up?"

Her body stiffened. The creak of her neck bones assailed Sakaki's ears. He had a nonchalant look. More comforting than his constant scowl.

"What are you doing?" The black puffball peered out from behind his arm. "I know that you've been following me," said Ichigo. "Why the sudden interest?"

"Is that your cat?" _Why did I say that?_

"It sure is," said Ichigo, "I found him in the rain one day. He looked so sad and pathetic that I just had to pick him up. Now the dang thing won't leave me alone." He placed his hand on the cat's head. The gentle rumbling of its throat made him smile.

"Is he friendly?"

"I think so."

"Okay," her voice was barely a whisper. _What am I doing?_ Sakaki took a step towards the wall. _Cat's don't like me_, she thought, _they never like me._ The kitten was small enough to fit in the palms of her hands. Its ears perked up as she looked at him. _This is a mistake._ Her hand stretched. _I shouldn't_, her hand paused, _I…don't know._ Her fingers rested in front of the kitten. The animal stretched towards her fingertips, sniffing all the while.

"What's his name?" A desperate voice. She turned towards Ichigo. Panic in her eyes. _What am I doing?_

"Uh…he doesn't have a—"

"WHAT?" Sakaki inwardly cringed. _Damn it. Now he thinks I'm crazy!_ She didn't know why his opinion mattered to her.

"How about…Fluffy?"

"Why would you call him that? That's a girl's name!"

"It is?"

"Yes," Sakaki calmed herself, yet she felt like shouting. The tips of her fingers touched the soft fur. She had to concentrate, otherwise she might do something rash.

"You like cats don't you?" asked Ichigo.

"Well um. I guess you could say that."

"You can touch him you know, he won't bite."

"That's okay," said Sakaki. Her hand went to back to her side. "You're not like everyone says are you?"

"What do they say about me?"

"That you kill people."

"Hmm." He picked up the black shape. "Well that's worse than what I thought." He held the animal in front of her. "You sure you don't want to pet him? You were eyeing him for quite a while."

"It's…." Sakaki stopped talking. _I'll do it._ The soft, warm, smooth feel of fur, a silken garment sitting in the sun. A gasp of air escaped her lips.

"Don't tell me you're getting emotional over a cat," said Ichigo.

"What will you call him?"

"I dunno, Rick maybe? What's your name anyways? I've seen you hanging out with Koyomi, and that kid. But I don't think we've ever met before today."

"Rick…why not Rico?"

"You really think so?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Um, okay."

"See you later." Sakaki dashed away. Leaving a confused Ichigo behind. The boy looked down as Rico purred. He shrugged. There was still the walk home.

"Okay," said Ichigo, "What the fuck is this?"

Someone sat on the stoop. Rico jumped from his hands, running up to the figure. The cat rubbed against its sides, but the shape didn't move. Ichigo heard snores emanate from the sitting figure. He shook it. Her head jolted upwards. A nervous smile, followed by a giggle.

"Hey Ayumu, what are you doing here?"

"Uh, nothin'."

"Okay, but why were you asleep?"

"I was just waiting," said Osaka.

"Waiting for who?"

"Miss Kurosawa," said the spacey girl.

"Minamo? Why are you so interested in her?" asked Ichigo.

Ayumu just yawned. Her eyelids would sink down then rise. Her head began to lean forward. Ichigo was annoyed. He snapped his fingers in front of her, but she fell asleep anyways.

"Whatever." He opened the door. Rico following him inside. The black tail darted through the crack, just as the door shut with a thud.

"Huh?" Osaka looked around. "Oh no, I fell asleep again! What am I supposed to do now?"

"Ms. Kasuga?"

"Oh! Hi Miss Kurosawa! I needed to ask you something."

"Okay what is it?"

"Well I was wondering, do you know anything about the transfer student?"

"Yeah, he's my cousin."

"What?" Osaka was surprised. "But he's so creepy…. I mean, he's not like you at all Miss Kurosawa."

"Ichigo sure is a different person than I am," said Minamo, "He has to be."

"Why is that?"

"He had a hard time back in Karakura town," said Minamo, "Everyone used to pick on him."

"That's a little hard to believe," said Osaka, "Everyone's afraid of him at school."

"Well you shouldn't be," said Minamo, "He's just a big softy." Kurosawa smiled as her student continued to ask about Ichigo. "Oh no," she told her, "Ichigo's never killed anyone."

"But he beat the crap out of this guy!" said Ayumu.

"Who?"

"This guy who attacked me," said Osaka. "I was walking alone in the rain, when suddenly this guy comes out of an alleyway. He pulled me inside and shoved me against a wall. Then Ichigo showed up."

"Hmm. Well I'm not too surprised by that," said Minamo, "Like I said, Ichigo is a big softy. He can't just sit there while people are in trouble. But I think he was also having girl troubles in Karakura town."

"Really?"

The door violently slammed against the wall. Osaka jumped as Ichigo appeared with a huge knife in his left hand.

"If you're done gossiping, why don't you make something to eat?"

Minamo rolled her eyes. "You can make something to eat."

"But you're here, and you're a better chef than I am!"

"Oh fine," said Kurosawa. The woman waved goodbye to Osaka. She closed the door. "Did you feed the cat?"

"Yes," Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"School tomorrow, did you finish your homework?"

"Yes."

"You don't have to be so irritated with me," said Kurosawa.

"Okay, okay." Ichigo sat on the couch, to catch up on Sgt. Frog.

"Hey gangster kid!"

"What the hell do you want?"

"I challenge you to a race!"

"Who are you anyways?" asked Ichigo.

The girl smiled. "My name is Tomo Takino," she loudly proclaimed, "And I'm the fastest person in this whole school!"

"You're one of the slowest people in this whole school. It's a miracle that you can even keep up with Chiyo."

"Damn it Yomi!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. _Why do I have to deal with this?_ "You wanna race? Fine. I'll just kick your ass and be done with it."

Tomo shivered with fear. "You wouldn't hurt me would you?"

"Ask Koyomi," he gave her an evil smile, "She knows."

"I have no idea." Yomi walked away as Tomo became angry.

"I don't care who you are!" yelled the "Wildcat", "I'll beat you in any competition!"

"Shut up." Ichigo rubbed his ear. "You talk way too loud, it's making my ear hurt."

"Just run damn it!"

"Fine."

"Okay," Yomi sighed, "On three. One, two…."

"Hold it!"

"What the hell is it now?" asked Ichigo.

"You're thirty centimeters taller than I am, so you need to step back thirty centimeters!"

"How about I go a kilometer? I'll beat you either way," Ichigo bragged.

"Whatever." Yomi counted down again. The results of the race inspired the rest of the class to race against Ichigo. Tomo sulked on the sidelines.

"Come on," said Ichigo, "I'm walking backwards here. Are you that slow kid?"

"My name is Chiyo," she quipped, "And I'm still faster than Miss Osaka!"

"Who's that?"

"She's standing over by Miss Yomi."

"Legs?" asked Ichigo.

"No, who's 'Legs' anyways?"

"The tall one."

"Her name is Miss Sakaki," said Chiyo, "Miss Osaka is the one on her left, I mean her right."

"Ayumu? Why do you call her Osaka?"

"That's her nickname, she transferred here from Osaka."

"Looks like I beat everone," said Ichigo, "Unless you want to try to beat me Legs…I mean Sakaki."

"I'll race against you!"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Kagura, and I'm the toughest girl in Tokyo!"


	6. The Return Home

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." Yomi paused for a brief moment, glancing towards the floor she let out a brief, sad sigh. "When are you going?"

"Today. Karakura town may not be as big as Tokyo, but it isn't boring."

"I see." Yomi turned to face the window. "I guess this means good bye then…. I know that we haven't known each other very long, but I'm glad that we got the chance to be friends. I'm sure you feel the same—"

Yomi turned, only to see that no one was in the room with her.

"Okay what the hell?" she muttered to herself before leaving the classroom.

"Y-you're leaving Mr. Kurosaki?" Chiyo whimpered.

"Hey," Ichigo bent down, "Don't worry you'll be alright. You've got a lot of friends who'll help look out for you."

"But, I don't want you to go!" Chiyo wrapped her arms around Ichigo's neck. The young man smiled. "Will you ever come back?" the girl sobbed.

"Who knows?" said Ichigo, "some things are hard to say."

"I can't believe that you're leaving Ichigo," said Osaka, "It feels like you just got here."

"I've been here for months, where have you been?" 

"How many months?"

"Too many," said Ichigo, "I'm leaving to grab some food."

Osaka sighed as the orange haired man slammed a door. "Do you think we'll ever see him again?"

"Why would you want to?" asked Kagura, "He's a criminal isn't he?" 

"You didn't get to know him," said Osaka, "He saved my life once in the rain." The spacey girl's eyes seemed to shine like stars. "I can still remember that day clearly. I was so scared when that thug hit me in the alleyway. I couldn't pry my arms loose 'cause he held them against the brick walls. Then Ichigo showed up and almost killed that guy, it was crazy."

"You're crazy," said Kagura, "You're always making up weird stories."

"But this one really is!" Osaka turned towards Kagura, "Why don't you believe me?"

"From what I've seen he's nothing special."

"Whatever." Osaka stared out the window for a moment, her brown eyes followed an imaginary procession as it passed by the school. "I wonder what Sakaki'll do when she hears the news. She seemed to like him ya know?"

"I noticed," said Kagura, "I wonder why."

Tomo shrugged her shoulders as Yomi walked into the room. The four of them heard her mutter about some "no good jerk". Tomo tried to ask her friend about it but she simply yelled at her to shut up.

"You ready to go Ichigo?"

The young man looked at his older cousin, Minamo. His stay with her had been full of strange surprises. He'd found a half frozen cat in an alleyway the two of them had kept in her apartment. The two of them had done quite a few things together, and Minamo had revealed an interesting knowledge of soul reapers after seeing Ichigo fight off a hollow in the streets.

"Yeah," said the young man, "I'm ready to leave."

"Okay." The car revved itself into a start. Minamo gave a quick look into the rearview mirror. Ichigo's perpetual scowl seemed more somber than usual. A closer examination saw his eyes focused on something outside of the blue SUV.

_Oh_. Minamo felt her mouth curve into a sly smile. _So that's his problem_. She turned around.

"Hey Ichigo?"

She saw his eyes shift towards hers.

"Is there someone you'd like to say good bye to?"

He gave no reply that could be heard, only one that could be felt. His eyes seemed to change slightly, no longer their usual indifference, there was a slight amount of embarrassment in them.

"It's okay," said Minamo, giving her cousin a gentle smile, "go on."

Ichigo's eyes simply focused on that same person standing alone, instead of giving a reply.

"One thing though."

Ichigo's eyes turned towards Minamo's again.

"When you say good bye to her, make sure to sheath your _sword_."

"MINAMO!"


End file.
